Gao Zang took the memorial handed to him by Prime Minister Li Zhenghao, glanced at it casually, and then closed it again.
In fact, he didn't need to read the memorial to know what kind of "justifiable" words Choi Dong-won, as the general of the Goguryeo Dynasty's western expedition, would use to request war.
At the time, Cui Dongyuan was just a minor prefect. He seized the opportunity of the internal turmoil in the Daxin Dynasty, took the initiative to lead his troops on a westward expedition, and annexed the lands of the four prefectures of Liaodong, Xuantu, Lelang and Daifang of the Daxin Dynasty. He was then appointed as the General of the Western Expedition.
At present, Cui Dongyuan has already regarded the Tang army on the other side of the Liao River as a stepping stone for him to be further rewarded, so how could he miss such an opportunity to make meritorious contributions?
In this respect, Choi Dong-won, the general of Goguryeo's western expedition, and King Bojang, Gojang, had something in common.
Choi Dong-won hoped to make a name for himself on the battlefield, while Gojang also hoped to take advantage of the great opportunity presented by the newly established Tang Dynasty and the country's need for reconstruction to further expand the territory of Goguryeo.
The Northeast region, which was compliant with the central dynasties but not with their orders, and the rich resources of the Changbai Mountains and Heilongjiang River, were precisely the "feng shui treasure land" that Gao Zang wanted to bring into his possession.
From Gao Zang's perspective, he was more inclined to support the pro-war faction in the imperial court.
How could an emperor, whose country was at its peak and who commanded an army of 600,000, not have any ambition?
If it weren't for the limited population and resources within Goguryeo, during the internal strife of the Daesin Dynasty, Gao Zang would have wanted to launch a westward expedition and directly conquer the Central Plains.
Even if they can't conquer the world, they can at least fish in troubled waters, get a share of the pie, and make a fortune.
Now, this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has presented itself once again. If the Goguryeo frontline army can defeat the Tang army on the other side of the Liao River, then he will have a great chance to take over the northeastern region of the Central Plains dynasty and seize that rich land for himself.
After closing General Cui Dongyuan's letter requesting permission to fight, Gao Zang asked again, "Prime Minister Li, what is the opinion of the pro-peace faction in the court?"
Upon hearing this, Li Zhenghao took out another memorial and handed it to Gao Zang, saying, "Your Majesty, this is Lord Gai's memorial!"
Lord Gai?
Gao Zang's expression immediately turned serious. He took the document from Li Zhenghao and began to read it word by word.
Lord Gai's real name was Gai Se-mun, and he was a representative of the aristocratic class in Goguryeo.
Although there were no specific official positions in the Goguryeo court, they wielded considerable influence over domestic affairs.
At the beginning of its founding, Goguryeo had already formed a political system in which the power of the king, the power of the prime minister, and the power of the nobles were in a tripartite balance.
The monarchy is supreme and has the final say on all matters, large and small, within the country.
The aristocratic rights stemmed from the existence of a strict aristocratic hierarchy within Goguryeo. To ensure the interests of the nobility and maintain political stability, the nobility were granted the right to make decisions on important state affairs.
The power of the prime minister was an auxiliary to the royal power, responsible for acting as a mediator and buffer when conflicts arose between the royal power and the noble power, so as to avoid direct and fierce clashes between the royal power and the noble power.
Therefore, when King Gojang heard that Lord Gae Se-mun, who represented the interests of the nobles in Goguryeo, had chosen to stand on the side of the pro-peace faction in the court and personally handed him a memorial, he couldn't help but take it seriously.
In his memorial to the throne, Gai Shiwen detailed the various experiences of Emperor Zhaowu of the Tang Dynasty, Chen Huai'an, since he raised an army in his fiefdom of Longcheng to fight against the Xin Dynasty.
Gae Se-mun, who was only sixty years old, could be described as the pillar of stability for the nobles in Goguryeo.
In the early years, during the peace talks with Emperor Gaozu of Daexin, Zhao Mang, it was Gae Se-mun who represented the Goguryeo Dynasty and ultimately signed the peace agreement with the Daexin Dynasty.
Over the years, Gai Shiwen's spies have also been active in Nanjing, the capital of the Daxin Dynasty.
Therefore, Gai Shiwen did a lot of work to understand Chen Huai'an, the Zhaowu Emperor who rose up as the crown prince of the previous dynasty, overthrew the Xin dynasty, and eventually established the Tang dynasty.
Gai Shiwen's memorial detailed Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an's achievements in destroying the Turkic Khaganate, launching a distant expedition against Tibet, and pacifying the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions.
Furthermore, the battle in which the Tang Dynasty (Longcheng) naval fleet wiped out the Japanese navy (pirates) entrenched in the Yellow Sea was also mentioned.
The news that the Tang Dynasty's naval fleet was equipped with red-coated cannons naturally spread quickly after the battle to wipe out the Japanese navy (pirates).
Gai Shiwen's memorial included a detailed comparison chart of the Tang Dynasty and the Goguryeo Dynasty in terms of population, military equipment, and economy. The final conclusion was that the Goguryeo Dynasty was more than capable of self-preservation due to its geographical advantages, but not capable of taking the initiative to fight!
Furthermore, Gaiswen proposed a diplomatic policy towards the Tang Dynasty: submission was acceptable, but tribute was not!
According to Gai Shiwen, Emperor Zhaowu of the Tang Dynasty, Chen Huai'an, stationed troops in Liaodong simply because he was ambitious and wanted to save face, in order to regain the face he had lost when he sent envoys to Goguryeo three times without success.
Since that's the case, let's give him face. Anyway, there's no real loss for the Tang Dynasty to become a vassal state, or for the Goguryeo Dynasty and King Gojang.
As for paying tribute, that's absolutely impossible!
Gai Shiwen was certain that the Tang Dynasty had just been established and was in a period of great need for reconstruction. Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an would never launch a costly expedition against Goguryeo for the sake of mere taxes and tributes.
After all, during the reign of Emperor Zhao Mang, the founding emperor of the Xin Dynasty, three campaigns against Goguryeo all ended in failure.
He did not believe that Emperor Zhaowu, Chen Huai'an, could be more valiant than Zhao Mang, who seized the throne on horseback.
Let's get back to the main topic.
After reading Gai Shiwen's memorial, Gao Zang frowned and hesitated to make a decision.
On the one hand, he felt that Gaishi Wenyan's words made sense;
On the other hand, Gao Zang felt that the Tang Dynasty had merely stationed troops in Liaodong and had not taken any substantial military action to attack the Goguryeo Dynasty. He felt that it would be beneath his dignity as the king to take the initiative to negotiate peace and become a vassal.
In addition, the young military officers in the court are all advocates of war. If they surrender and negotiate peace without fighting, it would incite public resentment and mutiny.
At this moment, King Gao Zang, who had already decided to take the initiative to attack when he picked up General Cui Dongyuan's letter of request for battle, was caught in a dilemma after closing the memorial of Lord Gai, who represented the interests of the nobles in the country.
Gao Zang, however, wanted to resolve the matter by stalling.
However, the Tang army stationed in Liaodong would not give him that opportunity.
At the same time, the Tang army camp in Liaodong.
As the supporting force for the Tang Dynasty's naval fleet's surprise attack on Pyongyang, the capital of Goguryeo, the commander-in-chief, Duke Wang Jian of Qin, was eager to unleash his full potential.
This was the first time Wang Jian had led troops independently to conquer a region on behalf of the Tang Dynasty.
Of course, Wang Jian of Goguryeo was not the main character in this expedition, but rather a supporting actor who set the stage for the Tang Dynasty's naval fleet.
Even as a "supporting actor" in a feint attack, Wang Jian meticulously managed his troops and made preparations for the prelude.
That day.
On the Liao River front, in front of the Tang army.
Commander-in-Chief Wang Jian held up his monocular binoculars, his eyes fixed on the military movements of the Goguryeo garrison on the opposite bank of the Liao River. He also asked his deputy, "Deputy General Liu, is there any news from the navy?"
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